Method and apparatus for switching radio resource control rrc state

ABSTRACT

This application provides a method and an apparatus for switching an RRC state. The method includes: sending, by a communications apparatus, indication information to a network device, where the indication information is used to indicate that the communications apparatus requests to enter an RRC inactive state; after completing a registration process of an RRC connected state, receiving, by the communications apparatus, an RRC connection release message that is sent by the network device based on the indication information, where the RRC connection release message is used to indicate the communications apparatus to enter the RRC inactive state; and entering, by the communications apparatus, the RRC inactive state from the RRC connected state based on the RRC connection release message. In this way, energy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus can be effectively reduced, and network resource consumption can also be reduced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/CN2019/072966, filed on Jan. 24, 2019, which claims priority toChinese Patent Application No. 201810149638.X, filed on Feb. 13, 2018.The disclosures of the aforementioned applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to the communications field, and morespecifically, to a method and an apparatus for switching a radioresource control (RRC) state.

BACKGROUND

Compared with a standard protocol of a long term evolution (LTE) system,a standard protocol of a 5th generation (5G) mobile communicationssystem defines a new RRC state, to be specific, an RRC inactive state.In the RRC inactive state, a non-access stratum (NAS) layer is still ina connected state, and behavior of an RRC layer is similar to behaviorof an RRC idle state. When a terminal needs to enter an RRC connectedstate, the terminal does not need to re-perform an RRC connectionestablishment process, but directly sends an RRC connection resumptionrequest to a network. In other words, in 5G, there are three RRC states:an RRC connected state (RRC CONNECTED), an RRC inactive state (RRCINACTIVE), and an RRC idle state (RRC IDLE).

When user equipment (UE) is in the RRC connected state, the networksends, to the UE, an RRC connection release message used to indicate theUE to enter the RRC idle state. After receiving the RRC release message,the UE switches to the RRC idle state. If the UE needs to subsequentlyinitiate a service, the UE may send an RRC connection establishmentmessage, to re-establish an RRC link and enter the RRC connected state.When the UE is in the RRC connected state, the network may alternativelyconfigure the UE to enter the RRC inactive state. If the UE needs tosubsequently initiate a service, the UE may send an RRC connectionresumption message, to quickly resume an RRC connection and enter theRRC connected state. If an exception occurs when the UE switches fromthe RRC inactive state to the RRC connected state, the UE enters the RRCidle state. Alternatively, when the UE is in the RRC inactive state, theUE may directly enter the RRC idle state by using an RRC inactive staterelease message. When the UE is in the RRC inactive state or the RRCidle state, energy consumption of the UE can be reduced. However, the UEin the RRC inactive state can more quickly switch back to the RRCconnected state than the UE in the RRC idle state.

In an existing protocol, a procedure in which the network configures theUE in the RRC connected state to enter the RRC inactive state is asfollows: A network device determines, based on load of the UE anddetection on service transmission that is performed by the UE for aperiod of time, whether to configure the UE to enter the RRC inactivestate. If the network device determines to configure the UE to enter theRRC inactive state, the network device configures, by using an RRCrelease message, the UE to enter the RRC inactive state.

In an existing manner of configuring the UE to enter the RRC inactivestate, power consumption of the UE and network resource consumptioncannot be reduced to a maximized extent.

SUMMARY

This application provides a method and an apparatus for switching an RRCstate, to effectively reduce power consumption of a terminal-sidecommunications apparatus and reduce network resource consumption.

According to a first aspect, a method for switching an RRC state isprovided, and the method for switching an RRC state includes: sending,by a communications apparatus, indication information to a networkdevice, where the indication information is used to indicate that thecommunications apparatus requests to enter an RRC inactive state; aftercompleting a registration process of an RRC connected state, receiving,by the communications apparatus, an RRC connection release message thatis sent by the network device based on the indication information, wherethe RRC connection release message is used to indicate thecommunications apparatus to enter the RRC inactive state; and entering,by the communications apparatus, the RRC inactive state from the RRCconnected state based on the RRC connection release message.

The communications apparatus is a terminal-side communicationsapparatus. Specifically, the terminal-side communications apparatus is aterminal device. Alternatively, the terminal-side communicationsapparatus is a chip or a system-on-a-chip disposed in the terminaldevice.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canautonomously request to enter the RRC inactive state, so thatflexibility of the terminal-side communications apparatus switching fromthe RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state can be improved.Therefore, compared with the prior art, this application can ensure to arelatively large extent that the terminal-side communications apparatusis in the RRC inactive state when the terminal-side communicationsapparatus does not send data. In this way, energy consumption of theterminal-side communications apparatus can be further reduced, andnetwork resource consumption can also be further reduced.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of thefirst aspect, the sending, by a communications apparatus, indicationinformation to a network device includes: before entering the RRCconnected state, sending, by the communications apparatus, theindication information to the network device.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canswitch to the RRC inactive state within a relatively short time aftercompleting the registration process of the RRC connected state, so thatit can be ensured to a large extent that the terminal-sidecommunications apparatus is in the RRC inactive state when theterminal-side communications apparatus does not send data. In this way,the energy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus canbe effectively reduced, and the network resource consumption can also bereduced.

Optionally, in this implementation, the indication information iscarried in an RRC connection request message.

In this application, an existing uplink message, that is, an RRCconnection establishment request message, is used to request the networkdevice that the terminal device needs to enter the RRC inactive state,and no uplink signaling needs to be added.

Therefore, signaling overheads can be reduced.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of thefirst aspect, the sending, by a communications apparatus, indicationinformation to a network device includes: after entering the RRCconnected state and before completing the registration process of theRRC connected state, sending, by the communications apparatus, theindication information to the network device.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canswitch to the RRC inactive state within a relatively short time aftercompleting the registration of the RRC connected state, so that it isensured to a relatively large extent that the terminal-sidecommunications apparatus is in the RRC inactive state when theterminal-side communications apparatus does not send data. In this way,the energy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus canbe effectively reduced, and the network resource consumption can also bereduced.

Optionally, in this implementation, the indication information iscarried in a registration request message of the RRC connected state.

In this application, an existing uplink instruction, that is, theregistration request message of the RRC connected state, is used torequest the network device that the terminal device needs to enter theRRC inactive state, and no uplink signaling needs to be added.Therefore, signaling overheads can be reduced.

With reference to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of thefirst aspect, the sending, by a communications apparatus, indicationinformation to a network device includes: after completing theregistration process of the RRC connected state, sending, by thecommunications apparatus, the indication information to the networkdevice.

Optionally, in this implementation, the indication information iscarried in an RRC air interface message.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canautonomously request to enter the RRC inactive state. In this way, theenergy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus can beeffectively reduced, and the network resource consumption can also bereduced.

According to a second aspect, a method for switching an RRC state isprovided, and the method includes: receiving, by a network device,indication information sent by a communications apparatus, where theindication information is used to indicate that the communicationsapparatus requests to enter an RRC inactive state; and after thecommunications apparatus completes a registration process of an RRCconnected state, sending, by the network device, an RRC connectionrelease message to the communications apparatus based on the indicationinformation, where the RRC connection release message is used toindicate the communications apparatus to enter the RRC inactive state.

The communications apparatus is a terminal-side communicationsapparatus. Specifically, the terminal-side communications apparatus is aterminal device. Alternatively, the terminal-side communicationsapparatus is a chip or a system-on-a-chip disposed in the terminaldevice.

In this application, the terminal-side apparatus can autonomouslyrequest to enter the RRC inactive state, so that flexibility of theterminal-side apparatus switching from the RRC connected state to theRRC inactive state can be improved. Therefore, compared with the priorart, this application can ensure to a relatively large extent that theterminal-side apparatus is in the RRC inactive state when theterminal-side apparatus does not send data. In this way, energyconsumption of the terminal-side apparatus can be further reduced, andnetwork resource consumption can also be further reduced.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of thesecond aspect, the method further includes: learning, by the networkdevice by parsing the indication information, that the communicationsapparatus needs to enter the RRC inactive state.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of thesecond aspect, the receiving, by a network device, indicationinformation sent by a communications apparatus includes: receiving, bythe network device, the indication information that is sent by thecommunications apparatus before the communications apparatus enters theRRC connected state.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canswitch to the RRC inactive state within a relatively short time aftercompleting the registration process of the RRC connected state, so thatit can be ensured to a large extent that the terminal-sidecommunications apparatus is in the RRC inactive state when theterminal-side communications apparatus does not send data. Therefore,the energy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus canbe effectively reduced, and the network resource consumption can also bereduced.

Optionally, in this implementation, the indication information iscarried in an RRC connection request message.

In this application, an existing uplink message, that is, an RRCconnection establishment request message, is used to request the networkdevice that the terminal device needs to enter the RRC inactive state,and no uplink signaling needs to be added. Therefore, signalingoverheads can be reduced.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of thesecond aspect, the receiving, by a network device, indicationinformation sent by a communications apparatus includes: receiving, bythe network device, the indication information that is sent by thecommunications apparatus after the communications apparatus enters theRRC connected state and before the communications apparatus completesthe registration process of the RRC connected state.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canswitch to the RRC inactive state within a relatively short time aftercompleting the registration of the RRC connected state, so that it isensured to a relatively large extent that the terminal-sidecommunications apparatus is in the RRC inactive state when theterminal-side communications apparatus does not send data. In this way,the energy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus canbe effectively reduced, and the network resource consumption can also bereduced.

Optionally, in this implementation, the indication information iscarried in a registration request message of the RRC connected state.

In this application, an existing uplink instruction, that is, theregistration request message of the RRC connected state, is used torequest the network device that the terminal device needs to enter theRRC inactive state, and no uplink signaling needs to be added.Therefore, signaling overheads can be reduced.

With reference to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of thesecond aspect, the receiving, by a network device, indicationinformation sent by a communications apparatus includes: receiving, bythe network device, the indication information that is sent by thecommunications apparatus after the communications apparatus completesthe registration process of the RRC connected state.

Optionally, in this implementation, the indication information iscarried in an RRC air interface message.

In this application, the terminal-side communications apparatus canautonomously request to enter the RRC inactive state. In this way, theenergy consumption of the terminal-side communications apparatus can beeffectively reduced, and the network resource consumption can also bereduced.

Optionally, in the foregoing implementations, the communicationsapparatus has a function of predicting future behavior.

Optionally, in the foregoing implementations, the indication informationexplicitly indicates that the communications apparatus requests to enterthe RRC inactive state, or the indication information implicitlyindicates that the communications apparatus requests to enter the RRCinactive state.

According to a third aspect, a communications apparatus is provided, andthe communications apparatus is configured to perform the methodaccording to any one of the first aspect or the possible implementationsof the first aspect. Specifically, the communications apparatus mayinclude a module configured to perform the method according to any oneof the first aspect or the possible implementations of the first aspect.

According to a fourth aspect, a network device is provided, and thenetwork device is configured to perform the method according to any oneof the second aspect or the possible implementations of the secondaspect. Specifically, the network device may include a module configuredto perform the method according to any one of the second aspect or thepossible implementations of the second aspect.

According to a fifth aspect, a communications apparatus is provided. Thecommunications apparatus includes a memory and a processor, the memoryis configured to store an instruction, the processor is configured toexecute the instruction stored in the memory, and execution of theinstruction stored in the memory enables the processor to perform themethod according to any one of the first aspect or the possibleimplementations of the first aspect.

According to a sixth aspect, a network device is provided. The networkdevice includes a memory and a processor, the memory is configured tostore an instruction, the processor is configured to execute theinstruction stored in the memory, and execution of the instructionstored in the memory enables the processor to perform the methodaccording to any one of the second aspect or the possibleimplementations of the second aspect.

According to a seventh aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes aprocessing module and a communications interface, the processing moduleis configured to control the communications interface to communicatewith the outside, and the processing module is further configured toimplement the method according to any one of the first aspect or thepossible implementations of the first aspect.

According to an eighth aspect, a chip is provided. The chip includes aprocessing module and a communications interface, the processing moduleis configured to control the communications interface to communicatewith the outside, and the processing module is further configured toimplement the method according to any one of the second aspect or thepossible implementations of the second aspect.

According to a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium isprovided, and a computer program is stored in the computer-readablestorage medium. When the computer program is executed by a computer, thecomputer is enabled to implement the method according to any one of thefirst aspect or the possible implementations of the first aspect.Specifically, the computer may be the foregoing terminal-sidecommunications apparatus.

According to a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium isprovided, and a computer program is stored in the computer-readablestorage medium. When the computer program is executed by a computer, thecomputer is enabled to implement the method according to any one of thesecond aspect or the possible implementations of the second aspect.Specifically, the computer may be the foregoing network device.

According to an eleventh aspect, a computer program product including aninstruction is provided. When the instruction is executed by a computer,the computer is enabled to implement the method according to any one ofthe first aspect or the possible implementations of the first aspect.Specifically, the computer may be the foregoing terminal-sidecommunications apparatus.

According to a twelfth aspect, a computer program product including aninstruction is provided. When the instruction is executed by a computer,the computer is enabled to implement the method according to any one ofthe second aspect or the possible implementations of the second aspect.Specifically, the computer may be the foregoing network device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communications system according to anembodiment of this application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for switching an RRC stateaccording to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 3 is another schematic flowchart of a method for switching an RRCstate according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 4 is still another schematic flowchart of a method for switching anRRC state according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 5 is still another schematic flowchart of a method for switching anRRC state according to an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communications apparatusaccording to an embodiment of this application; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another communicationsapparatus according to an embodiment of this application.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following describes the technical solutions of this application withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communications system in this application. Thewireless communications system may be a 5th generation (the 5thGeneration, 5G) mobile communications system, a new radio (new radio,NR) system, or a machine to machine (machine to machine, M2M) system. Asshown in FIG. 1, the wireless communications system may include one ormore network devices 110, one or more terminal devices 120, and a corenetwork 130.

The network device 110 may be a base station. The base station may beconfigured to communicate with one or more terminal devices, or may beconfigured to communicate with one or more base stations having someterminal functions (for example, communication between a macro basestation and a micro base station such as an access point). The networkdevice 110 may be a base station in the 5G system or the NR system. Inaddition, the network device 110 may alternatively be an access point(access point, AP), a transmission reception point (transport point,TRP), a central unit (central unit, CU), or another network entity, andmay include some or all functions of the foregoing network entities.

The terminal device 120 may be distributed in the entire wirelesscommunications system, and may be stationary or mobile. In someembodiments of this application, the terminal device 120 may be a mobiledevice, a mobile station (mobile station), a mobile unit (mobile unit),an M2M terminal, a radio unit, a remote unit, a user agent, a mobileclient, user equipment (user equipment, UE), or the like.

Specifically, the network device 110 may be configured to, under thecontrol of a network device controller (not shown in FIG. 1),communicate with the terminal device 120 through one or more antennas.In some embodiments, the network device controller may be a part of thecore network 130, or may be integrated into the network device 110.Specifically, the network device 110 may be configured to transmitcontrol information or user data to the core network 130 through abackhaul (backhaul) interface 150 (for example, an S1 interface).Specifically, the network devices 110 may also communicate with eachother directly or indirectly through a backhaul (backhaul) interface 140(for example, an X2 interface).

The wireless communications system shown in FIG. 1 is merely intended tomore clearly describe the technical solutions in this application, butconstitutes no limitation on this application. A person of ordinaryskill in the art may learn that the technical solution provided in thisembodiment of this application is also applicable to a similar technicalproblem as a network architecture evolves and a new service scenarioemerges.

The embodiments of this application relate to a network-sidecommunications apparatus. The network-side communications apparatus maybe the network device 110 shown in FIG. 1, or may be a chip or asystem-on-a-chip disposed inside a network side. For ease ofunderstanding and description, that the network-side communicationsapparatus is a network device is used as an example for descriptionbelow.

The embodiments of this application further relate to a terminal-sidecommunications apparatus. The terminal-side communications apparatus maybe the terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1, or may be a chip or asystem-on-a-chip disposed inside a terminal device. For ease ofunderstanding and description, that the terminal-side communicationsapparatus is a terminal device is used as an example for descriptionbelow.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for switching an RRC stateaccording to an embodiment of this application. A network device shownin FIG. 2 may correspond to the network device 110 in the system shownin FIG. 1, and a terminal device shown in FIG. 2 may correspond to theterminal device 120 in the system shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2,the method for switching an RRC state includes the following steps.

S210. A communications apparatus sends indication information to thenetwork device, where the indication information is used to indicatethat the communications apparatus requests to enter an RRC inactivestate. Correspondingly, the network device receives the indicationinformation sent by the communications apparatus.

Specifically, the indication information is carried in an uplinkmessage. For example, the uplink message includes a field used to carrythe indication information.

S220. After the terminal device completes a registration process of anRRC connected state, the network device sends an RRC connection releasemessage to the terminal device based on the indication information,where the RRC connection release message is used to indicate theterminal device to enter the RRC inactive state. Correspondingly, aftercompleting the registration process of the RRC connected state, theterminal device receives the RRC connection release message that is sentby the network device and that is used to indicate to enter the RRCinactive state.

S230. The terminal device enters the RRC inactive state from the RRCconnected state based on the RRC connection release message.

In this embodiment of this application, the terminal device may activelyinitiate a request to enter the RRC inactive state, so that the terminaldevice can quickly enter the RRC inactive state when the terminal deviceintends to enter the RRC inactive state. In this way, flexibility of theterminal device in switching from the RRC connected state to the RRCinactive state can be improved. Therefore, in this embodiment of thisapplication, the terminal device is allowed to trigger to enter the RRCinactive state, and compared with the prior art, energy consumption ofthe terminal device can be further reduced, and network resourceconsumption can also be further reduced.

Specifically, in S220, after receiving the indication information sentby the terminal device, the network device determines, by parsing theindication information, that the terminal device needs to enter the RRCinactive state; and sends the RRC connection release message to theterminal device after the terminal device completes the registrationprocess of the RRC connected state.

Optionally, in some embodiments, S210 specifically includes: aftercompleting the registration process of the RRC connected state, sending,by the terminal device, the indication information to the networkdevice.

Specifically, in S210, after completing the registration process of theRRC connected state, the terminal device detects that there is no datato be sent currently, and sends the indication information to thenetwork device. Correspondingly, in S220, after receiving the indicationinformation, the network device immediately sends, to the terminaldevice, the RRC connection release message used to indicate to enter theRRC inactive state.

It should be understood that “immediately” mentioned in this embodimentis a relative concept. It means that after receiving the indicationinformation sent by the terminal device, the network device sends, tothe terminal device at a next downlink sending moment, the RRCconnection release message used to indicate to enter the RRC inactivestate.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the indication information is carried inan RRC air interface message.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, an access network device shown in FIG.3 corresponds to the network device in this embodiment. A terminaldevice, the access network device, and a core network device in FIG. 3may respectively correspond to the terminal device 120, the networkdevice 110, and the core network device 130 in the system shown inFIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3, a procedure in which the terminal deviceautonomously requests to enter an RRC inactive state is as follows: S31.The terminal device performs an RRC connection establishment process anda network registration process (that is, a network access process) withthe access network device. This part of procedure belongs to the priorart, and details are not described herein. S32. The terminal deviceperforms data transmission with network side devices (the access networkdevice and the core network device). S33. After completing the datatransmission, the terminal device detects that there is no data to betransmitted currently, and sends an RRC air interface message to theaccess network device, where the RRC air interface message carriesindication information, and the indication information is used toindicate that the terminal device requests to enter the RRC inactivestate. S34. After receiving the RRC air interface message, the accessnetwork device sends an RRC connection release message to the terminaldevice, where the RRC connection release message is used to indicate theterminal device to enter the RRC inactive state. S35. After receivingthe RRC connection release message, the terminal device switches from anRRC connected state to the RRC inactive state.

In this embodiment, when detecting that there is no data to be sentcurrently, the terminal device may request, in real time, to enter theRRC inactive state. In this way, energy consumption of the terminaldevice can be effectively reduced, and network resource consumption canalso be reduced.

Optionally, in some embodiments, S210 specifically includes: afterentering the RRC connected state and before completing the registrationprocess of the RRC connected state, sending, by the terminal device, theindication information to the network device. Correspondingly, thenetwork device receives the indication information that is sent by theterminal device after the terminal device enters the RRC connected stateand before the terminal device completes the registration process of theRRC connected state.

Specifically, before completing the registration process of the RRCconnected state, the terminal device sends, to the network device inadvance, the indication information used to request the terminal deviceto enter the RRC inactive state. Correspondingly, after the networkdevice receives the indication information, and after the terminaldevice completes the registration process of the RRC connected state,the network device immediately sends, to the terminal device, the RRCconnection release message used to indicate to enter the RRC inactivestate. “Immediately” mentioned herein is a relative concept. Itindicates that at a first downlink sending moment after the terminaldevice completes the registration process of the RRC connected state,the network device sends, to the terminal device, the RRC connectionrelease message used to indicate to enter the RRC inactive state.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can switch to the RRCinactive state within a relatively short time after completing theregistration of the RRC connected state, so that it is ensured to arelatively large extent that the terminal device is in the RRC inactivestate when the terminal device does not send data. In this way, theenergy consumption of the terminal device can be effectively reduced,and the network resource consumption can also be reduced.

Optionally, in this embodiment, in an implementation, the indicationinformation is carried in a registration request message of the RRCconnected state.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, an access network device shown in FIG.4 corresponds to the network device in this embodiment. A terminaldevice, the access network device, and a core network device in FIG. 4may respectively correspond to the terminal device 120, the networkdevice 110, and the core network device 130 in the system shown inFIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, a procedure in which the terminal deviceautonomously requests to enter an RRC inactive state is as follows: S41.The terminal device performs an RRC connection establishment processwith the access network device. After completing the RRC connectionestablishment process, the terminal device enters an RRC connectedstate. S42. The terminal device in the RRC connected state sends aregistration request message to the access network device, where theregistration request message is used to request network registration,the registration request message further carries indication information,and the indication information is used to indicate that the terminaldevice requests to enter the RRC inactive state. As shown in FIG. 4,after receiving the registration request message, the access networkdevice forwards the registration request message to the core networkdevice. S43. The core network device sends a registration responsemessage to the terminal device through the access network device. Afterreceiving the registration response message, the terminal devicecompletes the network registration. S44. After sending the registrationresponse message, the access network device sends an RRC connectionrelease message to the terminal device, where the RRC connection releasemessage is used to indicate the terminal device to enter the RRCinactive state. S45. After receiving the RRC connection release message,the terminal device switches from the RRC connected state to the RRCinactive state.

As shown in FIG. 4, a process in which the terminal device completesregistration further includes a security process. A specific procedurebelongs to the prior art, and details are not described herein.

Specifically, the registration request message includes a field used tocarry the indication information.

In this embodiment, an existing uplink instruction, that is, theregistration request message of the RRC connected state, is used torequest the network device that the terminal device needs to enter theRRC inactive state, and no uplink signaling needs to be added.Therefore, signaling overheads can be reduced.

Optionally, in this embodiment, in another implementation, theindication information may alternatively be carried in another uplinkmessage that is sent by the terminal device to the network device afterthe terminal device enters the RRC connected state and before theterminal device completes the registration process of the RRC connectedstate. This is not limited in this embodiment of this application.

Optionally, in some embodiments, S210 specifically includes: beforeentering the RRC connected state, sending, by the terminal device, theindication information to the network device. Correspondingly, thenetwork device receives the indication information that is sent by theterminal device before the terminal device enters the RRC connectedstate.

Specifically, before entering the RRC connected state, the terminaldevice sends, to the network device in advance, the indicationinformation used to indicate that the terminal device requests to enterthe RRC inactive state. Correspondingly, after the terminal devicecompletes the registration process of the RRC connected state, thenetwork device immediately sends, to the terminal device, the RRCconnection release message used to indicate to enter the RRC inactivestate “Immediately” mentioned herein is a relative concept. It indicatesthat at a first downlink sending moment after the terminal devicecompletes the registration process of the RRC connected state, thenetwork device sends, to the terminal device, the RRC connection releasemessage used to indicate to enter the RRC inactive state.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the terminal device can switch to the RRCinactive state within a relatively short time after completing theregistration process of the RRC connected state, so that it can beensured to a large extent that the terminal device is in the RRCinactive state when the terminal device does not send data. Therefore,energy consumption of the terminal device can be effectively reduced,and network resource consumption can also be reduced.

Optionally, in this embodiment, in an implementation, the indicationinformation is carried in an RRC connection request message.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, an access network device in FIG. 5corresponds to the network device in this embodiment. A terminal device,the access network device, and a core network device in FIG. 5 mayrespectively correspond to the terminal device 120, the network device110, and the core network device 130 in the system shown in FIG. 1. Asshown in FIG. 5, a procedure in which the terminal device autonomouslyrequests to enter an RRC inactive state is as follows: S51. The terminaldevice sends an RRC connection establishment request message to theaccess network device, where the RRC connection establishment requestmessage is used to request to establish an RRC connection, the RRCconnection establishment request message further carries indicationinformation, and the indication information is used to indicate that theterminal device requests to enter the RRC inactive state. S52. Theaccess network device sends an RRC connection establishment responsemessage to the terminal device. In this way, the RRC connection isestablished, and the terminal device enters an RRC connected state. S53.The terminal device in the RRC connected state sends a registrationrequest message to the access network device, where the registrationrequest message is used to request network registration. As shown inFIG. 5, after receiving the registration request message, the accessnetwork device forwards the registration request message to the corenetwork device. S54. The core network device sends a registrationresponse message to the terminal device through the access networkdevice. After receiving the registration response message, the terminaldevice completes the network registration. S55. After sending theregistration response message, the access network device sends an RRCconnection release message to the terminal device, where the RRCconnection release message is used to indicate the terminal device toenter the RRC inactive state. S56. After receiving the RRC connectionrelease message, the terminal device switches from the RRC connectedstate to the RRC inactive state.

As shown in FIG. 5, a process in which the terminal device completesregistration further includes a security process. A specific procedurebelongs to the prior art, and details are not described herein.

Optionally, the RRC connection establishment request message includes afield used to carry the indication information.

In this embodiment, an existing uplink message, that is, the RRCconnection establishment request message, is used to request the networkdevice that the terminal device needs to enter the RRC inactive state,and no uplink signaling needs to be added. Therefore, signalingoverheads can be reduced.

Optionally, in this embodiment, in another implementation, theindication information may alternatively be carried in another uplinkmessage that is sent by the terminal device to the network device beforethe terminal device enters the RRC connected state. This is not limitedin this embodiment of this application.

Optionally, in the foregoing embodiments, in S210, the indicationinformation reported by the terminal device to the network deviceexplicitly indicates that the terminal device requests to enter the RRCinactive state.

Specifically, the indication information directly indicates that theterminal device requests to enter the RRC inactive state. In otherwords, after receiving the indication information, the network devicedirectly learns, by parsing the indication information, that theterminal device requests to enter the RRC inactive state.

For example, the indication information is carried in an RRC airinterface message (the embodiment shown in FIG. 3). In an example, theRRC air interface message includes an indication field. The indicationfield includes a bit. When the bit is “1”, it indicates that theterminal device requests to enter the RRC inactive state. When the bitis “0”, it indicates that the terminal device does not need to enter theRRC inactive state. In this example, a value of the bit included in theindication field corresponds to the indication information. It should beunderstood that both the terminal device and the network device learn ofmeanings represented by different values of the bit in the indicationfield included in the RRC air interface message.

For example, the indication information is carried in a registrationrequest message of the RRC connected state (the embodiment shown in FIG.4). In an example, the registration request message includes anindication field. The indication field includes a bit. When the bit is“1”, it indicates that the terminal device requests to enter the RRCinactive state. When the bit is “0”, it indicates that the terminaldevice does not need to enter the RRC inactive state. In this example, avalue of the bit included in the indication field corresponds to theindication information. It should be understood that both the terminaldevice and the network device learn of meanings represented by differentvalues of the bit in the indication field included in the registrationrequest message.

For example, the indication information is carried in an RRC connectionestablishment request message (the embodiment shown in FIG. 5). In anexample, the RRC connection establishment request message includes anindication field. The indication field includes a bit. When the bit is“1”, it indicates that the terminal device requests to enter the RRCinactive state. When the bit is “0”, it indicates that the terminaldevice does not need to enter the RRC inactive state. In this example, avalue of the bit included in the indication field corresponds to theindication information. It should be understood that both the terminaldevice and the network device learn of meanings represented by differentvalues of the bit in the indication field included in the RRC connectionestablishment request.

Optionally, in the foregoing embodiments, in step 210, the indicationinformation reported by the terminal device to the network deviceimplicitly indicates that the terminal device requests to enter the RRCinactive state.

Specifically, the indication information indicates that the terminaldevice does not need to send data. In other words, after receiving theindication information, the network device directly learns, by parsingthe indication information, that the terminal device does not need tosend data. Based on this, the network device determines that theterminal device needs to enter the RRC inactive state.

For example, the indication information is carried in an RRC airinterface message (the embodiment shown in FIG. 3). In an example, theRRC air interface message includes an indication field. The indicationfield includes a bit. When the bit is “1”, it indicates that theterminal device does not need to send data. When the bit is “0”, itindicates that the terminal device needs to send data. In this example,a value of the bit included in the indication field corresponds to theindication information. It should be understood that both the terminaldevice and the network device learn of meanings represented by differentvalues of the bit in the indication field included in the RRC airinterface message. In this example, when the bit in the indication fieldincluded in the RRC air interface message is “1”, the network devicelearns that the terminal device does not need to send data, anddetermines that the terminal device needs to enter the RRC inactivestate.

For example, the indication information is carried in a registrationrequest message of the RRC connected state (the embodiment shown in FIG.4). In an example, the registration request message includes anindication field. The indication field includes a bit. When the bit is“1”, it indicates that the terminal device does not need to send data.When the bit is “0”, it indicates that the terminal device needs to senddata. In this example, a value of the bit included in the indicationfield corresponds to the indication information. It should be understoodthat both the terminal device and the network device learn of meaningsrepresented by different values of the bit in the indication fieldincluded in the registration request message. In this example, when thebit in the indication field included in the registration request messageis “1”, the network device learns that the terminal device does not needto send data, and determines that the terminal device needs to enter theRRC inactive state.

For example, the indication information is carried in an RRC connectionestablishment request message (the embodiment shown in FIG. 5). In anexample, the RRC connection establishment request message includes anindication field. The indication field includes a bit. When the bit is“1”, it indicates that the terminal device does not need to send data.When the bit is “0”, it indicates that the terminal device needs to senddata. In this example, a value of the bit included in the indicationfield corresponds to the indication information. It should be understoodthat both the terminal device and the network device learn of meaningsrepresented by different values of the bit in the indication fieldincluded in the RRC connection establishment request. In this example,when the bit in the indication field included in the RRC connectionestablishment request message is “1”, the network device learns that theterminal device does not need to send data, and determines that theterminal device needs to enter the RRC inactive state.

Optionally, the terminal device in this embodiment of this applicationmay have a function of predicting future behavior.

Specifically, the terminal device may intelligently predict futurebehavior of the terminal device. For example, the terminal devicepredicts the future behavior through machine learning. It should beunderstood that a specific manner in which the terminal device predictsthe future behavior is not limited in this embodiment of thisapplication.

In an example, before accessing a network (the terminal device entersthe RRC connected state and completes the network registration), theterminal device predicts that the terminal device does not need toimmediately send data after accessing the network. In this case, theterminal device may carry, in the RRC connection request message, theindication information used to indicate that the terminal devicerequests to enter the RRC inactive state. For specific content, refer tothe foregoing description with reference to FIG. 5. Alternatively, theterminal device may carry, in the registration request message of theRRC connected state, the indication information used to indicate thatthe terminal device requests to enter the RRC inactive state. Forspecific content, refer to the foregoing description with reference toFIG. 4.

In another example, the terminal device in the RRC connected statepredicts that the terminal device does not need to send data in a futureperiod of time. In this case, the terminal device may send an RRC airinterface message to the network device. The RRC air interface messagecarries the indication information used to indicate that the terminaldevice requests to enter the RRC inactive state.

In still another example, if the terminal device in the RRC connectedstate predicts that the terminal device does not need to send data in afuture period of time after completing current service datatransmission, the terminal device sends an RRC air interface message tothe network device. The RRC air interface message is used to indicatethat the terminal device requests to enter the RRC inactive state aftercompleting the current service data transmission. Correspondingly, afterthe network device receives the RRC air interface message and completesthe current service data transmission with the terminal device, thenetwork device sends, to the terminal device at a next downlink sendingmoment, the RRC connection release message used to indicate to enter theRRC inactive state.

In this embodiment, by predicting future behavior, the terminal devicemay send, to the network device in advance, the indication informationused to request to enter the RRC inactive state, so that it can beensured to a relatively large extent that the terminal device is in theRRC inactive state when the terminal device does not send data. In thisway, power consumption of the terminal device can be reduced, andnetwork resource consumption can also be reduced.

In conclusion, in this embodiment of this application, the terminaldevice may actively initiate a request to enter the RRC inactive state,so that the terminal device can relatively quickly enter the RRCinactive state when the terminal device intends to enter the RRCinactive state. In this way, flexibility of the terminal device inswitching from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state can beimproved. Therefore, in this embodiment of this application, theterminal device is allowed to trigger to enter the RRC inactive state,and compared with the prior art, the energy consumption of the terminaldevice can be further reduced, and the network resource consumption canalso be further reduced.

It should be understood that, in this embodiment of this application,after the terminal device autonomously enters the RRC inactive state,when there is data to be sent, the terminal device may send an RRCconnection resumption request to the network device, to enter the RRCconnected state to perform data transmission.

The foregoing describes the method for switching an RRC state providedin the embodiments of this application, and the following describes anapparatus for switching an RRC state provided in the embodiments of thisapplication. It should be understood that descriptions of the apparatusembodiments correspond to the descriptions of the method embodiments.Therefore, for content that is not described in detail, refer to theforegoing method embodiments. For brevity, details are not describedherein again.

The foregoing mainly describes the solutions provided in the embodimentsof this application from a perspective of interaction between networkelements. It may be understood that the network elements, for example, atransmit end device or a receive end device, include correspondinghardware structures and/or software modules for performing thefunctions, to implement the foregoing functions. A person of ordinaryskill in the art should easily be aware that, in combination with theexamples described in the embodiments disclosed in this specification,units, algorithms steps in this application may be implemented byhardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether afunction is performed by hardware or hardware driven by computersoftware depends on particular applications and design constraintconditions of the technical solutions. A person skilled in the art mayuse different methods to implement the described functions for eachparticular application, but it should not be considered that theimplementation goes beyond the scope of this application.

In the embodiments of this application, a transmit end device or areceive end device may be divided into functional modules based on theforegoing method examples. For example, the transmit end device or thereceive end device may be divided into functional modules correspondingto functions, or two or more functions may be integrated into oneprocessing module. The integrated module may be implemented in a form ofhardware, or may be implemented in a form of a software functionalmodule. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of this application,module division is exemplary, and is merely logical function division.In actual implementation, another division manner may be used. Anexample in which functional modules are divided based on functions isused below for description.

An embodiment of this application provides a communications apparatus.The communications apparatus may be a terminal device. Alternatively,the communications apparatus is a chip or a system-on-a-chip disposed inthe terminal device. The communications apparatus may be configured toperform an action performed by the terminal device in the foregoingmethod embodiments.

When the communications apparatus is a terminal device, FIG. 6 is asimplified schematic structural diagram of the terminal device 600. Forease of understanding and illustration, in FIG. 6, the terminal deviceis, for example, a mobile phone. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device600 includes a processor, a memory, a radio frequency circuit, anantenna, and an input/output apparatus. The processor is mainlyconfigured to: process a communications protocol and communication data,control the terminal device, execute a software program, process data ofthe software program, and the like. The memory is mainly configured tostore the software program and the data. The radio frequency circuit ismainly configured to: perform conversion between a baseband signal and aradio frequency signal, and process the radio frequency signal. Theantenna is mainly configured to send and receive a radio frequencysignal in a form of an electromagnetic wave. The input/output apparatus,such as a touchscreen, a display, or a keyboard, is mainly configuredto: receive data input by a user and output data to the user. It shouldbe noted that some types of terminal devices may have no input/outputapparatus.

When needing to send data, after performing baseband processing on theto-be-sent data, the processor outputs a baseband signal to the radiofrequency circuit; and the radio frequency circuit performs radiofrequency processing on the baseband signal and then sends the radiofrequency signal to the outside in a form of an electromagnetic wave byusing the antenna. When there is data to be sent to the terminal device,the radio frequency circuit receives a radio frequency signal by usingthe antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal,and outputs the baseband signal to the processor. The processor convertsthe baseband signal into data, and processes the data. For ease ofdescription, FIG. 6 shows only one memory and one processor. In anactual terminal device product, there may be one or more processors andone or more memories. The memory may also be referred to as a storagemedium, a storage device, or the like. The memory may be disposedindependent of the processor, or may be integrated with the processor.This is not limited in this embodiment of this application.

In this embodiment of this application, the antenna and the radiofrequency circuit that have receiving and sending functions may beconsidered as a transceiver unit of the terminal device, and theprocessor that has a processing function may be considered as aprocessing unit of the terminal device. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminaldevice includes a transceiver unit 610 and a processing unit 620. Thetransceiver unit may also be referred to as a transceiver, a transceivermachine, a transceiver apparatus, or the like. The processing unit mayalso be referred to as a processor, a processing board, a processingmodule, a processing apparatus, or the like. Optionally, a componentthat is in the transceiver unit 610 and that is configured to implementa receiving function may be considered as a receiving unit, and acomponent that is in the transceiver unit 610 and that is configured toimplement a sending function may be considered as a sending unit. Inother words, the transceiver unit 610 includes the receiving unit andthe sending unit. The transceiver unit sometimes may also be referred toas a transceiver machine, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, or thelike. The receiving unit sometimes may also be referred to as a receivermachine, a receiver, a receiving circuit, or the like. The sending unitsometimes may also be referred to as a transmitter machine, atransmitter, a transmitter circuit, or the like.

For example, in an implementation, the transceiver unit 610 is used toperform the receiving and sending operations on the terminal device sidein FIG. 2. The processing unit 620 is used to parse the RRC connectionrelease message received in S220 in FIG. 2, and control the terminaldevice to enter the RRC inactive state.

For another example, in an implementation, the transceiver unit 610 isused to perform the receiving and sending operations on the terminaldevice side in FIG. 3. The processing unit 620 is used to parse the RRCconnection release message received in S34 in FIG. 3, and control theterminal device to enter the RRC inactive state.

For another example, in another implementation, the transceiver unit 610is used to perform the receiving and sending operations on the terminaldevice side in FIG. 4. The processing unit 620 is used to parse the RRCconnection release message received in S44 in FIG. 4, and control theterminal device to enter the RRC inactive state.

For another example, in another implementation, the transceiver unit 610is used to perform the receiving and sending operations on the terminaldevice side in FIG. 5. The processing unit 620 is used to parse the RRCconnection release message received in S55 in FIG. 5, and control theterminal device to enter the RRC inactive state.

When the first communications apparatus is a chip, the chip includes atransceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit may be aninput/output circuit or a communications interface. The processing unitis a processor, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit integrated onthe chip.

An embodiment of this application further provides a communicationsapparatus. The communications apparatus may be a network device or achip. The communications apparatus may be configured to perform anaction performed by the network device in the foregoing methodembodiments.

When the communications apparatus is a network device, and isspecifically, for example, a base station, FIG. 7 is a simplifiedschematic structural diagram of a base station. The base stationincludes a part 710 and a part 720. The part 710 is mainly configured toreceive and send a radio frequency signal, and perform conversionbetween the radio frequency signal and a baseband signal. The part 720is mainly used for baseband processing, base station control, and thelike. The part 710 may be usually referred to as a transceiver unit, atransceiver machine, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, or the like.The part 720 is usually a control center of the base station, mayusually be referred to as a processing unit, and is configured tocontrol the base station to perform the steps performed by the networkdevice side in FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 above. For details, refer to thedescriptions of the parts related to the method embodiments above.

The transceiver unit in the part 710 may also be referred to as atransceiver machine, a transceiver, or the like. The transceiver unitincludes an antenna and a radio frequency unit. The radio frequency unitis mainly used for radio frequency processing. Optionally, a componentthat is in the part 710 and that is configured to implement a receivingfunction may be considered as a receiving unit, and a componentconfigured to implement a sending function may be considered as asending unit. In other words, the part 710 includes the receiving unitand the sending unit. The receiving unit may also be referred to as areceiver machine, a receiver, a receiver circuit, or the like. Thesending unit may be referred to as a transmitter machine, a transmitter,a transmitter circuit, or the like.

The part 720 may include one or more boards. Each board may include oneor more processors and one or more memories. The processor is configuredto read and execute a program in the memory, to implement a basebandprocessing function and controlling of the base station. If there are aplurality of boards, the boards may be interconnected to enhance aprocessing capability. In an optional implementation, the plurality ofboards may share one or more processors, or the plurality of boards mayshare one or more memories, or the plurality of boards maysimultaneously share one or more processors.

For example, in an implementation, the transceiver unit is configured toperform the receiving and sending operations on the network device sidein FIG. 2. The processing unit is configured to parse the indicationinformation received in S210 in FIG. 2.

For another example, in an implementation, the transceiver unit isconfigured to perform the receiving and sending operations on thenetwork device side in FIG. 3. The processing unit is configured toparse the RRC air interface message received in S33 in FIG. 3.

For another example, in another implementation, the transceiver unit isconfigured to perform the receiving and sending operations on thenetwork device side in FIG. 4. The processing unit is configured toparse the registration request message received in S42 in FIG. 4.

For another example, in another implementation, the transceiver unit isconfigured to perform the receiving and sending operations on thenetwork device side in FIG. 5. The processing unit is configured toparse the RRC connection establishment request message received in S51in FIG. 5.

When the communications apparatus is a chip, the chip includes atransceiver unit and a processing unit. The transceiver unit may be aninput/output circuit or a communications interface. The processing unitis a processor, a microprocessor, or an integrated circuit integrated onthe chip.

For explanations and beneficial effects of related content of any of thecommunications apparatuses provided above, refer to the correspondingmethod embodiments provided above, and details are not described hereinagain.

An embodiment of this application further provides a computer-readablestorage medium, and a computer program is stored in thecomputer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executedby a computer, the computer is enabled to implement an operationperformed by a terminal side in the foregoing method embodiments, orwhen the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer isenabled to implement an operation performed by a network side in theforegoing method embodiments.

An embodiment of this application further provides a computer programproduct including an instruction. When the instruction is executed by acomputer, the computer is enabled to implement an operation performed bya terminal side in the foregoing method embodiments, or when theinstruction is executed by a computer, the computer is enabled toimplement an operation performed by a network side in the foregoingmethod embodiments.

It should be understood that, the processor mentioned in the embodimentsof the present application may be a central processing unit (CentralProcessing Unit, CPU), or the processor may be another general purposeprocessor, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP),an application-specific integrated circuit (Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit, ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FieldProgrammable Gate Array, FPGA) or another programmable logical device,discrete gate, or transistor logical device, a discrete hardwarecomponent, or the like. The general purpose processor may be amicroprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor orthe like.

It may be further understood that the memory mentioned in theembodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or anonvolatile memory, or may include a volatile memory and a nonvolatilememory. The nonvolatile memory may be a read-only memory (Read-OnlyMemory, ROM), a programmable read-only memory (Programmable ROM, PROM),an erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), anelectrically erasable programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM,EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random accessmemory (Random Access Memory, RAM), used as an external cache. By way ofexample but not limitative description, many forms of RAMs may be used,for example, a static random access memory (Static RAM, SRAM), a dynamicrandom access memory (Dynamic RAM, DRAM), a synchronous dynamic randomaccess memory (Synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), a double data rate synchronousdynamic random access memory (Double Data Rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), anenhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (Enhanced SDRAM,ESDRAM), a synchlink dynamic random access memory (Synchlink DRAM,SLDRAM), and a direct rambus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DRRAM).

It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purposeprocessor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or another programmable logicdevice, discrete gate, transistor logic device, or discrete hardwarecomponent, the memory (storage module) is integrated into the processor.

It should be noted that the memory described in this specification isintended to include but is not limited to these and any memory ofanother proper type.

A person of ordinary skill in the art may be aware that, in combinationwith the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in thisspecification, units and algorithm steps may be implemented byelectronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronichardware. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or softwaredepends on particular applications and design constraint conditions ofthe technical solutions. A person skilled in the art may use differentmethods to implement the described functions for each particularapplication, but it should not be considered that the implementationgoes beyond the scope of this application.

It may be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art that, forthe purpose of convenient and brief description, for a detailed workingprocess of the foregoing described system, apparatus, and unit, refer tothe corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, anddetails are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should beunderstood that the disclosed system, apparatus, and method may beimplemented in other manners. For example, the described apparatusembodiments are merely examples. For example, the unit division ismerely logical function division and may be other division in actualimplementation. For example, a plurality of units or components may becombined or integrated into another system, or some features may beignored or not performed. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutualcouplings or direct couplings or communication connections may beimplemented through some interfaces. The indirect couplings orcommunication connections between the apparatuses or units may beimplemented in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physicallyseparate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units,may be located in one position, or may be distributed on a plurality ofnetwork units. Some or all of the units may be selected based on actualrequirements to achieve the objectives of the solutions of theembodiments.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of this application maybe integrated into one processing unit, or each of the units may existalone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit.

When the functions are implemented in the form of a software functionalunit and sold or used as an independent product, the functions may bestored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such anunderstanding, the technical solutions of this application essentially,or the part contributing to the prior art, or some of the technicalsolutions may be implemented in a form of a software product. Thecomputer software product is stored in a storage medium, and includesseveral instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be apersonal computer, a server, or a network device) to perform all or someof the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of thisapplication. The foregoing storage medium includes: any medium that canstore program code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, aread-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), a random access memory (RandomAccess Memory, RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disc.

The foregoing descriptions are merely specific implementations of thisapplication, but the protection scope of this application is not limitedthereto. Any variation or replacement readily figured out by a personskilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in thisapplication shall fall within the protection scope of this application.Therefore, the protection scope of this application shall be subject tothe protection scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for switching a radio resource control(RRC) state, comprising: sending, by a communications apparatus,indication information to a network device, wherein the indicationinformation is used to indicate that the communications apparatusrequests to enter an RRC inactive state; after completing a registrationprocess of an RRC connected state, receiving, by the communicationsapparatus, an RRC connection release message that is sent by the networkdevice based on the indication information, wherein the RRC connectionrelease message is used to indicate the communications apparatus toenter the RRC inactive state; and entering, by the communicationsapparatus, the RRC inactive state from the RRC connected state based onthe RRC connection release message.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein the sending, by a communications apparatus, indicationinformation to a network device comprises: before entering the RRCconnected state, sending, by the communications apparatus, theindication information to the network device.
 3. The method according toclaim 2, wherein the indication information is carried in an RRCconnection request message.
 4. The method according to claim 1, whereinthe sending, by a communications apparatus, indication information to anetwork device comprises: after entering the RRC connected state andbefore completing the registration process of the RRC connected state,sending, by the communications apparatus, the indication information tothe network device.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein theindication information is carried in a registration request message ofthe RRC connected state.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein thesending, by a communications apparatus, indication information to anetwork device comprises: after completing the registration process ofthe RRC connected state, sending, by the communications apparatus, theindication information to the network device.
 7. The method according toclaim 6, wherein the indication information is carried in an RRC airinterface message.
 8. A communications apparatus for switching a radioresource control (RRC) state, comprising: a transmitter, configured tosend indication information to a network device, wherein the indicationinformation is used to indicate that the communications apparatusrequests to enter an RRC inactive state; a receiver, configured to:after a registration process of an RRC connected state is completed,receive an RRC connection release message that is sent by the networkdevice based on the indication information, wherein the RRC connectionrelease message is used to indicate the communications apparatus toenter the RRC inactive state; and a processor, configured to enter theRRC inactive state from the RRC connected state based on the RRCconnection release message.
 9. The communications apparatus according toclaim 8, wherein the transmitter is specifically configured to: beforethe communications apparatus enters the RRC connected state, send theindication information to the network device.
 10. The communicationsapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the indication information iscarried in an RRC connection request message.
 11. The communicationsapparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transmitter is specificallyconfigured to: after the communications apparatus enters the RRCconnected state and before the communications apparatus completes theregistration process of the RRC connected state, send the indicationinformation to the network device.
 12. The communications apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the indication information is carried ina registration request message of the RRC connected state.
 13. Thecommunications apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transmitteris specifically configured to: after the communications apparatuscompletes the registration process of the RRC connected state, send theindication information to the network device.
 14. The communicationsapparatus according to claim 13, wherein the indication information iscarried in an RRC air interface message.
 15. A computer program product,comprising computer executable instructions stored on a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, wherein when the instructions are executed bya communications apparatus, causes the communications apparatus to: sendindication information to a network device, wherein the indicationinformation is used to indicate that the communications apparatusrequests to enter a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state; aftercompleting a registration process of an RRC connected state, receive anRRC connection release message that is sent by the network device basedon the indication information, wherein the RRC connection releasemessage is used to indicate the communications apparatus to enter theRRC inactive state; and enter the RRC inactive state from the RRCconnected state based on the RRC connection release message.
 16. Thecomputer program product according to claim 15, wherein the executedinstructions causes the communications apparatus to: before entering theRRC connected state, send the indication information to the networkdevice.
 17. The computer program product according to claim 16, whereinthe indication information is carried in an RRC connection requestmessage.
 18. The computer program product according to claim 15, whereinthe executed instructions causes the communications apparatus to: afterentering the RRC connected state and before completing the registrationprocess of the RRC connected state, send the indication information tothe network device.
 19. The computer program product according to claim18, wherein the indication information is carried in a registrationrequest message of the RRC connected state.
 20. The computer programproduct according to claim 15, wherein the executed instructions causesthe communications apparatus to: after completing the registrationprocess of the RRC connected state, send the indication information tothe network device.